Ways To Make That Insane, Time-Consuming Commute To Work Productive

Commuting to and from work can be a real pain, especially if you live in a metro city. Spending hours just travelling to your workplace can leave you exhausted even before your workday has begun. There are many people who choose to even let a good job go because a 1.5 hours long commute is simply not helping. However, if you have no way out, we suggest making the commute productive. Whether you carpool or take the public transport, here are some tips that might help you survive the long hours and get the work done.

Catch up on your professional communication

One of the best times to look at all those email trails that you get marked in all through the day is on your commute. If you are not driving, use this time to get organized and clear out your inbox. Respond to urgent emails, make notes of the ones that need your attention at a later date, and delete the rest.

Get on con-call meetings

If you have your laptop on you, use this time to get on con-calls and get that out of the way. Of course, you will need to check if your team is okay with it first, because the traffic sounds can get a little distracting.

Ideate

One of the biggest complaints that people have is that their job gives them no free time to simply sit and ideate. Well, here you have it. Think of all the new strategies that you would like to implement at work, and make note of them before you reach work.

Plan your day

Another good thing to do would be to use the commute time to plan your day. Figuring things out in the morning, before you reach, not only saves time later but also give you a clear idea of how your day is going to turn out.

Bond with a colleague

If you are lucky enough to have a teammate who takes the same route as you, opt for carpooling and use this time to connect with them. You can discuss what’s happening at work, talk about the issues you have and give each other honest feedback in an informal environment.

Read

Between rushing to reach work on time and getting caught up with a thousand tasks the moment you get to work, you don’t really get the time to read. Be it the news or simply a book you love, use the long hours to catch up. You can also plug in that Podcast, or simply hook on to an audio book.

Space Out

Sure, being productive means you have to be working, but sometimes you need to zone-out just to give your brain some rest. If you are using the metro, or sharing a cab, zoning out can be the best thing for your brain.